Frederic Bastiat Quote

"The state tends to expand in proportion to its means of existence and to live beyond its means, and these are, in the last analysis, nothing but the substance of the people. Woe to the people that cannot limit the sphere of action of the state! Freedom, private enterprise, wealth, happiness, independence, personal dignity, all vanish."

by:	Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) [Claude Frederic Bastiat] French economist, statesman, and author. He did most of his writing during the years just before -- and immediately following -- the French Revolution of February 1848
Source:	Sophisms, 141
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Categories:	Dignity, Free Trade, Freedom, Happiness, Independence, Statism, Wealth
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We hold this truth to be self evident. History repeating itself over and over again.  -- Mike, Norwalk      8
Mike, full agreement from myself.  -- Anon      4
This is very well evidenced in the state's propensity to "Bail Out" their friends and bank's who have failed to manage themselves properly. That they should consider themselves authorized to do so is appalling. Please...no one tell the annointed one what comes after a trillion... They are deliberately undermining the American economy as part of the globalist agenda. They are traitors.  -- J Carlton, Calgary      7
If you send it, They will spend it.  -- jim k, austin      6
The people are the state and the proportion of the total wealth allocated or in the hands of individuals versus the state is the function of the needs and purposes of all of the people. WWII was the best example of an exteme reallocation of wealth to military success. Money is only good for spending, if the wealth is in the hands of a few private individuals who decicde to spend it in ways detrimental to the people then the people from whom the wealth originally flowed have a right to correct the misallocation. In a capitalist society the wealth flows from the poorest and every one in between up to the capitalist, without the people consuming his goods the capitalist would be without a market.  -- Waffler, Smith      2 1
Yes, we have turned over our wealth to the state - not just monetary wealth but also the wealth of our conscience. We must again insist on limiting the state and above all our military machine and corporate monopolies. We must IMMEDIATELY stop funding politician's campaign chests. Only then do we have a chance to recover this nation. If not all hell will break loose.  -- RBESRQ      5
The people are the state? How Orwellian! The state is the agent of the people, not the other way around. Don't forget who's the boss in this Republic.  -- Ken, Allyn, WA      4
Right on Ken! I think you and I are saying the same thing, for once.  -- Waffler, Smith      2
Correct the intent not the words  -- RBESRQ      2
Bastiat's book, The Law, is a must read.  -- Romano, Bangkok      5
Absolutely right Romano, it should be required reading with each student required to write an essay on the subject. After all "The Law" is simple enough...even for Liberals.  -- J Carlton, Calgary      2
Yes, capitalism, by its very nature, is the enemy of the people, because it cannot be controlled. Its nature is to gobble up all competition for the sake of profit and in the process screw the people. That scenario can only last while the printing press continues to spew a fiat economy and the people lose their fear of the government. The major cement in the works is the propaganda machine and the military industrial complex, but that is crumbling. Hence the reason the war mongers Hillary and her neo-con buddies are beating the drums of was - their very existence depends on it! But, I see cracks in the wall on the hill and the people are becoming restless and angry.... Our only hope is if Bernie is nominated as he will trounce Trump and Hillary would lose. Bernie for President.......  -- Robert, Somewhere in Europe      2
Fortunately, for republicans, its the Liberals that uphold the law... otherwise their would be no Republicans.  -- Robert, Somewhere in Europe      2
Robert, rolling on the floor laughing out loud. You would have to define "Liberals" and "the law" before your statement would have ANY chance of credulity. Amerika's Democrats / Republicans, socialists - neoliberal/progressives/religious to neocon/religious, liberals (by current general acceptance) / conservatives, collectivist / oligarchical gods, etc., etc., etc. would rather lie and commit compelled compliance, licenses, victimless crimes, larceny with impunity, alienate nature's rights, immoral activities/ criminal functions and proselyte others to do so than anything else. Is your reference to law, the de jure constitutional laws of nature and of nature's God (natural law) or, to the de facto unconstitutional legal positivism where man as god creates his own law and punishment for any interpreted infraction thereof? Because in fact, Liberals nor Republicans uphold either definition. Again, what is your definition of "Liberal" and "the law"? Your terse explanation of capitalism describes crony-capitalism, not capitalism. Capitalism is a laissez-faire system that works in a free market with "capital" (a tangible money with intrinsic value, gold and silver coin for example) at natural law (fiscal law) and justice. The screwing of people would be outside natural law and unjust thus eliminating a possible scenario of capitalism. The occupying statist theocracy infesting this land has not allowed capitalism for over a century and while relating thereto, freedom, private enterprise (private anything), wealth, happiness, independence, personal dignity are all vanishing  -- Mike, Norwalk      3
Thank you very much Mike, Norwalk !! For the individual sovereign to capitalized, one must remove the oppressive arm of exaction upon hearth and home first, to restore true capitalistic opportunity to the sovereign individual.  -- Ronw13, Oregon      2
I truly hope that Robert remains "somewhere in Europe." Better yet .. I believe he would most likely be best beset with getting his eyes opened to the ultimate fraught ridden Liberal Socialist results that have now disseminated the Argentinian nation and its people.  -- Mary - MI      1
They do??? Now that is a mystery!!!! Maybe once upon a time. Perhaps 4 years later you need to rethink?!!!  -- Andrew Sherr, Garden City
Waffler, you and Ken are not saying the same thing. Within a representative “republican form of government” (Article IV, Section 4, U.S. Constitution) the individual sovereigns at “the laws of nature and of nature’s God” (Declaration of Independence) were to hire servants with limited job descriptions of enhancing and protecting - NOT the individuals personally but rather, the individual sovereign’s inalienable rights and liberty at natural law. Considering linguistic short falls and/or meanings or mental images by limited sound combinations (language deficit thresholds), terms such as “government” and “state” did not accurately describe the body politic that was de jure to the founder’s initial intent. Being that no word described the new creation, traditional words well established and accepted were implemented to the demise of the original concepts (traditional meanings and understandings won out - there are no longer individual sovereign servants protecting and enhancing inalienable rights or liberty at natural law but rather, State employees by way of legal positivism and legal realism only). The State, no longer a mere body of servants protecting rights and liberty at natural law became, an independent abstract that expanded in proportion to its means of altering existence - living beyond its means (thus the creation of funny money, slavery by the 2nd plank of the communist manifesto, etc., etc., etc.). Freedom, private enterprise, wealth, happiness, independence and personal dignity are all vanishing exponentially as the occupying statist theocracy infesting this land continues to expand.  -- Mike, Norwalk      1
I love the ingenious writings of the great Frederic Bastiat!  -- Mary, MI      1
After reading my earlier reply to you and considering the time between when you wrote that and now; — I still don't know what law the Liberals are upholding that sustains the Republicans? ? ? Is it a new unwritten philosophy of rules, outlining a commit to crimes against nature — without being caught ? ? ?  -- Mike, Norwalk

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